Petition calls for return of short-stay parking on Marygate to boost Berwick town centre

Most of the parking bays were removed from Marygate in 2005 but a petition calling for their return to help boost trade now has 225 signatures.

Petition creator Louise Lough, who owns the Junk and Disorderly shop on Marygate, said: “We are concerned about the decline in Berwick high street, with decreased footfall and empty shops proliferating.

"Short stay parking on Marygate worked well, and enabled many residents and visitors to make quick stops to visit shops.

“They would come in to pick their prescriptions up from Boots or a newspaper from WH Smith and might also pop into one or two independent shops.

"The part-pedestrianisation introduced years ago just isn’t working. It’s no good having a huge area of paving if there are no people using it.”

She doesn’t believe it to be a case of shoppers being ‘lazy’, more that they prefer the convenience of being able to park close to their destination.

"I’m sure people would come back into the town centre if it was easy enough for them to park for half an hour or an hour,” she says. “They want the convenience of parking outside the shop, as they get when they go to the retail parks. It is too far for some of our customers to walk from the back end of the B&M (Castlegate) car park.”

While there is an argument that part-pedestrianisation has improved safety, she believes the reintroduction of parking would cut speeding.

“More parking, and more vehicles moving around, would help slow down traffic and reduce the risk to pedestrians from vehicles speeding through without stopping,” she says.

"We also believe that this could be implemented easily simply by moving bollards and painting lines; no major works are required, and we ask Northumberland County Council to make this happen as soon as possible for the sake of businesses and to make life easier for all.”

The petition will be discussed by councillors at a North Northumberland Local Area Council.

To sign it, visit https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Councillors/Involve.aspx